Age Is Only a Number

Ahhh! Spa!

For Christmas, our kids gave my friend and I a gift certificate for a day at the wonderful Elmwood Spa located in the heart of downtown Toronto. The gorgeous building built in the late 1800’s was originally home of the Y.W.C.A. The exterior has been beautifully restored to its original condition while inside houses four floors that are a mix of the old with modern aesthetics. When you enter, there is an immediate sense of calm that pervades the reception area.

Our reservation was to begin at 10:00am and we agreed to meet at the Elmwood since I was driving in from just outside the city. A drive which would normally take me 45 minutes stretched into double that time due to morning traffic and after searching for parking, I found myself scrambling to get there on time. I needed this spa day more than ever at this point.

We checked in immediately and were escorted to the change area on the second floor to doff our belongings and don their wonderful white robes which would become our uniform for the day.

First on our agenda was a facial. Our personal technician guided us to the treatment room. While relaxing on the warm bed, my face was scrubbed, waxed, plucked, squeezed, massaged, steamed and lubricated. During the treatment the technician also massages your scalp. When it was time to leave, I peeked in the mirror by the door to find my hair standing on end like an oily mop. Any attempt to tame the mess was in vain, but luckily everyone wandering the halls looked the same, so I felt right at home.

Next on our schedule was lunch, so we headed up to the 4th floor. We chose a seat outside on the patio in the shade. The warm breeze felt lovely.

Included in our package was a three course lunch. I chose a beet, arugula and goat cheese salad to start. This was followed by a NY sirloin steak with sautéed parsnips. Delicious! For dessert, I chose warm pumpkin pie with cinnamon whipped cream. It was lovely to relax and eat at a leisurely pace. I was very surprised to see almost an equal number of men and women; some were couples, but many were alone or with a friend.

After our leisurely meal, it was massage time. Surprising to me was the fact that most of the masseuses were men. The room was dimly lit and soft music played in the background. As I lay on my very full stomach, it was clear that the timing was not ideal. I eventually settled in and thoroughly enjoyed the experience which was enhanced by the scent of lemongrass that I had chosen for my oil. A second head massage left me looking frightful, but I couldn’t have cared less.

Lastly, we headed back to the second floor for our pedicures. Our technicians were so much fun and we laughed the entire time.

We gave our newly polished toes some time to dry before heading for the change room.

It had been a truly, lovely day. Everyone needs a day like this every so often just to be pampered and cared for. So, remember to take some time for yourself. You deserve it!